Fighting the Current
by unknownphilosopher49
Summary: A boy cast aside by his home fighting to survive and prove himself. He looks for acceptance and cherishes what he has. See the struggles of Uzumaki Naruto as he fights what society throws at him. SUPERNARUTO. Naru/Harem
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey everyone! unknownphilosopher here. Just a little blurb before the story. I have been reading fanfiction for a while now and I thought that I would try my hand at writing a story. Now I don't pride myself on my writing ability or the expanse of my vocabulary( that took me a while to come up with).

This is **My first ever Fanfic **so please let me know what you think of my story. Feel free to say whatevre you want to. I have no problems with flames and would greatly appreciate constructive critisism. If you like the story and how I'm writing it then please let me know too!

Alright on with the show!

**Fighting the Current - Chapter One**

Looking out at the horizon you could see the pink sky of dawn as the sun slowly rose from its slumber brining its warmth and light to the world. As the sun began to peak over the horizon it began to awaken all the life within the forest. Animals of all shapes and sizes began to wake and make noise. The suns presence seeming to bring the forest to life. It caught a color that seemed out of the ordinary in the lush green and brown of the forest. What it caught was a shock of yellow and orange moving rapidly through the forest surrounding a large village. Looking closer we see that the colors detected by the suns light belong to a boy. This boy had spiky blonde hair held in place with a pair of blue goggles, sapphire blue eyes containing nothing but loneliness, and a very sun like orange jumpsuit that screamed "hey look at me!"

Naruto had started his morning training as he always had. Wake up, which was stay awake all night due to fear, at 4:30am, and meditate for one hour. He would then move out of his small, should be unlivable, apartment and move into the surrounding forest where he would work on his chakra control with 1000 Kage Bunshin. He would work on any exercise he knew that would maintain and better his chakra control including leaf balancing, tree climbing, water walking, and kunai balancing. He would do this with his clones for one hour before he left them and did his physical training for the morning by running as many laps around the village as he could before the academy started at 9:00.

This is where we catch up with our blonde who is walking through the streets of Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. This was the worst part of his day. On his way to the academy to start his new year he would be treated absolutely atrociously by the villagers of his own village. His treatment ranged from stares of anger, contempt, rage, and hate to being spit on and having things thrown at him. His mistreatment did not stop there, however. He was not allowed in any stores or restaurants and when he was he was sold the worst or rejected things for five times the price! That is why he was stuck wearing his hideous orange jumpsuit and why he only had the single set.

A deeply broken sigh exited him as he entered the academy building fifteen minutes late. He could only wonder if this year was going to be the same as the last five years. He could only bite back the anger he had for those years especially the last two.

Flashback

As Naruto stood in front of his sensei for the final portion of his graduation exam, testing his ninjutsu, he already knew he was going to fail. The year before he was taught nothing the entire year and was given a zero on his written test just because of who he was.

This year was so much of the same that he hated it. He was at the bottom of his class never even getting a mark on his written tests even though he knew he should have at least passed them. He also never learned any jutsu because the teacher always made sure he was not in class. He had been kicked out of every class where he would have learned anything about jutsu be it gen or nin. He hated it!

All he could do now was sigh and hang his head as his sensei asked him to perform the ninjutsu required for passing.

"Ok Naruto Henge into the Hokage for us please."

"I can't." Replied Naruto, already feeling the satisfied smirk on his senseis face.

"Alright. How about you kawarimi with that chair in the corner then?"

Naruto could hear the mirth in the man's voice now.

"I can't do that either." He wished he was already out of there knowing what was coming but he had to make it seem like it did not bother him.

"Fine Naruto, can you make at least two bunshin for me then?"

Naruto really wanted to make two solid Kage Bunshin and kick his senseis ass but he had to keep that in his head and not let it happen because , well, he didn't want to think about what would happen if he did that.

"Sensei I can't do that one either." Naruto said finally looking up into the maniacal face of his sensei.

"Well, Naruto you fail again." His sensei said with nothing but satisfaction in his voice. He was keeping the demon away from the public. He was doing the right thing.

Naruto walked out of the room and left the academy sitting on a swing outside watching as children were praised by their parents for them passing or comforted by their parents if they failed.

He could only sit there alone as people stared and laughed at him for his repeat failure and loneliness.

Flashback End

Oh, how he wished he could do what he wanted, but it would have to wait until he graduated. He could only hope his sensei would be at least indifferent towards him and not outwardly hate him. He also idly wondered how his class this year would be being as he had never really paid attention around the academy to see the class below him, but now that he was going to be in the class he couldn't help but wonder.

Finding the room he would be in for the year he took a deep breath to bring him out of his musings and knocked.

Iruka was irritated. It had been twenty minutes since class 'began' and he had yet to get control of his class! Worse yet was that he was getting the container for the Kyuubi no Kitsune in his class today and he wasn't sure how he should feel about that. But not only was his new student who he was but he was also late and that irked him more then anything. As he was about to explode at his class to get them to calm down he heard a knock at the door. Looking towards his class it seems that he was the only one who heard the door so he got up and headed to the door to see who it was.

Naruto heard muffled footsteps approach the door before it opened revealing a man with brown hair, brown eyes, friendly face with a scar across the nose, which could change very fast, and a chunin vest on. Naruto decided to let the man speak first so he stood there waiting for his sensei to speak.

Iruka had opened the door to an eye sore. Neon orange assaulted his eyes along with the blondest hair he had ever seen. Seeing that this boy at his door was not going to speak first he opted to introduce himself and find out who this boy was and why he was knocking at his classroom door.

"Hello, I am Umino Iruka the sensei of this class what do you need?" He asked politely.

Naruto, watching his face the whole time said in return "I am your new student Uzumaki Naruto, sorry I'm late." He said the last part while scratching the back of his embarrassed. Naruto was at least content with what he saw from his new teacher. All he saw by way of face change was a friendly face to a calculating face. He could tell that the man did not outright hate him which was a good thing, at least for him.

"That's fine." Iruka answered before continuing. "Would you like to come in and introduce yourself to the class before you take a seat?"

Stepping aside to let the boy in Iruka looked behind him to see that his class had fallen silent for the moment. Sighing with relief, he closed the door and walked back to the desk at the front of the room.

Naruto stood calmly in front of his new peers looking all over the class waiting for Iruka to welcome him to the class. As he looked over the thirty some odd students of the class very few actually stood out to him. As he was about to think about them Iruka halted his thoughts before they could begin.

"Class, this year we will be getting a new student who" but before he could finish a boy with a dog on his head did it for him.

"… Is an idiot who can't even pass the genin exam not once but twice. What a dobe!" The boy finished to raucous laughter from the class. Naruto was not really insulted by this as he had heard so much worse in his life this one did not faze him what-so-ever. He decided to take the time to study who he could at least tolerate the presence of in the class while Iruka tried to restore order to his class.

Naruto was surprised to find two students not laughing at him. But, as he looked closer he could see why. The first boy he looked at was, by the style of his hair, a Nara. The reason for his lack of laughter was his unconsciousness on his desk. While the rest of the class was laughing he was sleeping. _Lazy ass_ thought Naruto as he turned to the second boy who was not laughing at him. He, who was instantly identified as an Aburame, was not laughing either but that could have been because of the stoic nature of his clan. Naruto could tell however, that the Aburame was amused which made him think. _I guess I could tolerate a silent guy for the year. At least he won't annoy me like some of the other ones would certainly do._

Iruka, getting a hold of his class once again gave Naruto the floor. Naruto decided to stick with his tried and true introduction, which although very dumb he enjoyed. Slipping a goofy grin on his face and placing his right hand behind his head he told the class about himself.

"Hey everyone! My name is Uzumaki Naruto and it's great to be a part of this class! I like ramen a lot and the Sandaime. I hate the three minutes it takes to wait for ramen along with people who judge others before they get to know them. One day I'm going to be Hokage!" He wrapped up to more laughter from the class and another snide remark from the boy Iruka had identified as Kiba.

"A dobe like you Hokage? HA! You can't be serious. You can't even become a genin!"

Iruka had had enough of this so he unleashed some killing intent silencing them instantly.

"Now that you have introduced yourself why don't you grab a seat anywhere you like Naruto."

"Thanks Iruka-sensei." Naruto said already half way to his chosen seat next to the Aburame.

As Naruto sat down at the back of the class next to his new classmate he looked over and offered his hand in greeting. The sunglasses wearing boy looked over at it for a second before offering his own.

"Naruto" "Shino"

It was quick but it was more then the blonde had expected and it would probably be the only greeting for a long time so he was happy. He removed his hand from the other after they shook and turned to face forward followed closely by his new acquaintance.

Standing at the front of the room, Iruka began to take roll and then commence class. Naruto heard a 'here' from next to him and looked over to see the boy staring forward uninterested in his surroundings. Naruto decided to try to strike up a conversation with Shino to see how this class was.

"So Shino, what do you think of this class?" Naruto asked trying to make it seem that he was just interested in learning about his fellow peers, which he was, but for a slightly different reason then the implied reason of finding out about a new environment. Naruto needed to see which of his students would hate him because of their parents' influence or which children were just arrogant jerks.

"Some have talent while others do not. It is like any other academy class. Few will pass and many will fail that is all I need to think of this class." Shino said very clipped but also in a stoic manner. It was really only the Aburame clan that could pull that kind of oration off not sounding arrogant or angry.

"Oh, well thanks. I was wondering about their personalities and abilities though. I don't really know anybody from your class and I just wanted to know a little about them."

"Uchiha Sasuke is the rookie of the year and Haruno Sakura is the best kunoichi. That is all I know I don't pay attention to anything else as it is unimportant."

After replying Shino looked over to the blonde next to see him looking upset that he didn't get more information. His mood did a 180 when his name was called in roll and then there was no trace of his bad mood anywhere.

"Thanks anyway Shino. I'll beat Sasuke and be rookie of the year for sure. Hahaha." He said giving Shino a thumbs up as he did.

Iruka stood in front of his now quiet class looking out at all the ninja hopefuls. He knew that not all of them were going to pass, like Naruto had already done. He couldn't help but think that he should do more to help them. He had thought about taking out some of the history and focusing more on practical knowledge, skill, and experience. And this year he planned to put some of these ideas into practice.

"This year we will be trying something a little different. We will be doing a little less book work and more hands on training. I plan to get you more acclimatized to the life of a shinobi through many exercises through this year.

We will have a lot of survival training sessions where I will take you all to places in the woods and you will have to survive there for a few days. I will also try to see if I can talk to the Hokage about getting some supervisors and having you all work on teamwork while doing D-rank missions. _I hope the Hokage lets me do this one._ And if I am so lucky as to convince the Hokage, I will teach, those of you who prove themselves worthy, other jutsu besides the three necessary ones you are taught."

At this last one the whole class began to drool and began to jump in their seats. All of them wanted higher level jutsu at their disposal. The only problem being that they had to prove themselves to Iruka and show him that they were ready. No sweat! Were the thoughts going through everybody's mind in the class.

"But before any of that happens we will be doing strength and endurance training to get your body more ready for the life of a shinobi. I will also be taking you all out into the forest for a full week to teach you how to survive outside of villages for extended periods of time."

Iruka decided to stop there seeing the looks of unbridled glee on his students' faces. _Time to bring them down to earth. I wonder who will have the funniest reaction._ Thought Iruka as he began to speak again.

"All this considered we will not stop our other lessons. I am still responsible for your education in history, geography, and math. The classes will probably be more intense too due to the amount of time we will be spending outside the classroom."

A groan spread throughout the class as he announced this. Iruka looked around and was sad that a lot of his students did not look too appalled, however he did get some satisfaction as a few students, including an orange wearing blonde, smashed their heads on the table a couple of times.

Naruto was so excited for this year the more his sensei talked about it. The main reason he was so excited though was because there was little mention of class work he hated above all else. It was not that he was bad at it; he just found it so boring and a waste of his time. All he could think of doing when Iruka mentioned that they would have to do intense class work to make up for the lack of class time was to bash his head on his desk a few times.

"Being as today is the first class of the year though I will give you all a reprieve. I will let you all go after you show me what you have learned over the last few years. This means I want you all show me you Henge into me as best you can and then make two Bunshin again, as best you can."

Naruto sat there in thought as Iruka announced this. He really didn't want this class knowing that he couldn't do the techniques at all! _Ok I'm out of here. I am not going to make these guys laugh at me because I was never taught._ With that thought, Naruto left the class with as much stealth as he possessed. He hoped that no one noticed him leave. That was what he really prided himself on; his stealth.

As Iruka was going through his class he was very disappointed with the class. As he came to Uchiha Sasuke, the third last name in the class, only four of his students managed to do the jutsu he asked for perfectly.

"Sasuke come and perform the jutsu I asked for in any order you like."

With an arrogant smirk on his face Sasuke stood from his desk and walked to the front of the class. As he got to the front he could only twitch his eyebrow as he heard his fan girls swooning over him. _Fucking fan girls leave me alone! Can't you tell that I'm not interested. God I hate fan girls almost as much as Itachi. Itachi..._

Quickly performing the two techniques Sasuke headed back to his seat where he sat down to brood.

"Alright, well done Sasuke. Naruto you are next."

Iruka took a look around his room and found his new student nowhere in sight. He was confused, he never felt the boy leave and on the inside was a little disturbed by that.

"Did anyone see Naruto leave?"

A round of 'No' met his ears and he frowned. He would have to ask the boy tomorrow why he had left and discipline him as well.

"Fine. You can all leave after Ino"

He was interrupted by said Yamanaka yelling.

"I can't do them!"

Iruka could not believe the speed in which his class left after she had said that. He slumped down in his chair wondering about his new blonde student.

Said blonde was making his way to the Hokage tower to see the only person to see him for who he was; Uzumaki Naruto. He could not think what his life would have been like without the kind and helpful old man who cared for him like a grandchild. Naruto, at this moment just needed a friendly face and an environment where he knew he would not be glared at or potentially attacked.

As Naruto entered the tower, he was greeted by the secretary. He knew that she hated him, but she had been 'told' by the Hokage to treat him normally and let him through whenever he came whether he had a meeting or not.

"He's not in a meeting so you can go right in." The secretary said with a blank expression.

Even though he knew it was forced he still smiled brightly at her. It was a rare occurrence for him not to get death glares so he relished every little piece of indifference or kindness he could get. With a 'Thanks' he was on his way to the Hokages office.

Knocking on the door he heard a muffled 'Enter' and entered the office. Pushing the big oak doors he looked upon the only person to show him kindness and a place of refuge. Yes, the Ichiraku's helped him out with food from time to time, but they could not protect him from a mob or some shinobi; the Hokage could.

"Hello Naruto. I'm glad you decided to drop by." Spoke the wizened leader behind his desk full of paperwork piled higher then he would have liked.

"It's no trouble for me Ji-san. I love to come and visit you to give you time off from that paperwork of yous."

If he didn't know he was behind all the paper, Naruto would have wondered where the chuckle came from after his comment. Walking to a small couch he decided to have a seat and wait for the old man to come and join him.

"So Naruto, how do you find your new classmates?" Sarutobi said as he got up and strolled over to join the young blonde.

"Same as always Ji-san. Sigh. Hey I've always wondered if there was a technique that could help you do that paperwork of yours. Like a Bunshin or something." Spoke the blonde knowing full well what that technique would be.

Sarutobi sat there for a moment tossing Narutos words around his head. It took a moment before a look of understanding dawned on his face and he smiled.

"Why yes Naruto, there is a technique that I can use to help me. Thank you very much that will help me out a lot. Oh and can I ask why you decided to leave class early today?"

Naruto looked sheepish with his hand scratching the back of his head.

"I should have known you would have been watching me with that ball of yours." Thinking on his feet Naruto thought of something to say. With his fox like grin in place he said "I was to worried I would blind the rest of the class with my amazing skills. It's not everyday you see a Hokage in the making."

The Hokage chuckled at the excuse. He knew it was just that, an excuse but he didn't want to press it.

"Hey Ji-san. Do you think that I could stay here for a while, while you work?" Asked Naruto not feeling like going out into the village just yet. He really just felt like resting without worrying about being attacked. He almost never felt safe. He was probably the lightest sleeper ever because he could not risk getting caught off guard. He felt so safe right now he could already feel the lack of sleep catching up to him.

"Sure Naruto. Stay as long as you like." Said the Hokage, seeing the boy begin to nod off.

The boy did this every time he was here. The Hokage just wished he knew why. Sighing he got up and headed back towards his desk before remembering what Naruto had suggested. He smiled for the boys ability to think outside the box. He could now do his paperwork and sit by the fire enjoying his pipe at the same time.

Getting to his desk he made a few Kage Bunshin to do the paperwork then retrieved his pipe from its drawer. He also grabbed a little orange book just in case he felt like reading a bit of his students work. Sitting down in front of the fire he lit his pipe and began to enjoy his relaxation.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Well here I am for the next installment of Fighting the Current and am very excited. I didn't think I would have updated this fast, but I guess having my story up spurred me on.

As i said before I don't care what you leave me by way of review. You can flame, compliment, constructively critisize, or whatever you want to do. If you have suggestions for how the story should go feel free to let me know and I will take them into consideration. Ideas from friends have already changed this story in my head so you could help with something I didn't think of.

So without further ado!

**Fighting the Current - Chapter 2**

Safety and relaxation. These were the only two words that could describe a waking Uzumaki Naruto. He could not remember the last time he had felt so at ease in his life. It was wonderful, until a few more of his senses began to return to him. He was instantly on guard because he could tell he was not in his apartment. He could also hear the crackle and pops of a burning fire which was a bad thing considering he had been lit on fire before, along with his apartment and belongings on more then one occasion. But as he inhaled the scent within the room, he instantly relaxed as the smell of tobacco brought back his memories from before his slumber.

He was in the Hokages office lying on one of the couches in his office with the Hokages robes over him for a blanket. He briefly wondered what time it was before beginning to move.

The wizened Hokage had watched as the boy woke up. He was sad when he saw the boy tense up for reasons he wished did not exist. He observed as the boy then relaxed and slowly opened his eyes before getting up to join him by the fire. He was glad to see that Naruto looked so refreshed and relaxed. While watching the boy through his crystal ball, all he saw was a sad, scared, and very tired 14 year old. It was very refreshing to see the boy before him being himself.

"Hey Ji-san. What time is it?"

"I'd say that it is close to seven in the evening Naruto. You have been out for almost eight hours. You also made me stay in the office longer then I would have liked." The old man finished with a sly grin on his face.

Naruto looked sheepish after the last comment.

"Sorry Ji-san, it's kind of hard to keep track of time while you're asleep." The young blonde half shot back.

"This is true." Said the Hokage, after a long drag from his pipe. "Would you like to come with me to get some ramen before I retire for the night?"

Naruto was about to answer when his stomach did it for him. He looked up at the Hokage again embarrassed before chuckling.

"I guess that answers that." Said the Hokage as he got up out of his chair and stretched the kinks out of his old body once again.

Naruto was at the door before the old leader was even done stretching. He could not believe the appetite this boy had, especially around ramen. _Then again, just like his father. That man could never get full on those noodles._ Sighing about the past he walked over to move in line with his chosen company for the evening.

As the pair left the tower they could just make out the busy streets of the market district before it was lost behind a building. As they walked the Hokage could only scowl and glare back at the people who were sending evil glares at the blonde next to him. He was heart broken to see the citizens glaring at him even with the leader of the village beside him.

Looking at the blonde he could only admire the boy's ability to ignore what was directed at him. If it had been him in Narutos position, he did not think he would have lasted even a year before he would start to kill everyone around him. Deciding that a conversation was needed to distract them both, the wizened Hokage began to talk about what other things he had overheard while spying on the boy.

"You know Naruto I think that Iruka-san has some very good ideas for your class this year. It is unfortunate that I can't allow him to teach other jutsu then the three required to graduate. They would just be too dangerous, in young hands. I will try to talk the counsel into doing the missions because I think that developing teamwork before being a genin would be very beneficial. It would also help us to determine the teams after all of your graduations. Wouldn't you agree?"

Naruto already knew that if the old man had been spying on him then he would have overheard Iruka-senseis plans for the year. He knew what the old man was really saying though, when he mentioned the counsel. It was all about him, not the rest of the class that he was worried about.

"Ya that sounds good to me. I don't really know much about that Ji-san but I think I understood enough of what you just said." _If I ever get picked to do these missions it will be a miracle. I just can't see any adult wanting me near them._ "Will you let Iruka-sensei do the survival training in the woods?" Asked Naruto hoping for an affirmative answer.

"Yes that sounds like a very good idea to me. The ability to fend for yourself while out in the middle of nowhere is a very valuable skill to have. That one will not be a problem along with the physical training."

"Ha. Those are the easiest for me. I will be the best in the class!" Said Naruto confidently but also rather sadly. He was forced to live on his own and survive on his own since day one. With little to do during the day, what with no friends, all he could do was train his body. That combined with having to run for his life a few times a week.

The Hokage had noticed the sadness in Narutos voice and could not bring himself to look at him. So, he looked forward and noticed that they were just outside their destination. Looking back towards the boy he found him missing. It took only a second for him to hear the boy yell his order, already sitting at the counter waiting.

"Welcome to Ichiraku, Hokage-sama. What can I get you tonight?" Asked the daughter of Teuchi Ichiraku, the owner of the stand.

"I will have a miso ramen please, Ayame-chan."

Going back into the kitchen Ayame gave her dad the order of the Hokage. Coming back out from the kitchen she placed a huge bowl of ramen in front of Naruto. Before she could even turn around to go get the Hokage's order Naruto had yelled 'Itidakimasu!', broke his chopsticks, and began to devour his bowl.

Naruto was in heaven. It had been two days since he had last eaten. Now, he didn't have to eat everyday but he still felt the pains of hunger. If it was not for the food he was eating right now, he would have gone hunting tonight to try to find something to eat. As much as he wanted to gorge himself at the moment he really didn't want to abuse the old mans kindness so he decided to only have five bowls today. This meant that he would still have to hunt tonight to get some food, but at least he only needed a rabbit now instead of a deer.

"Ayame-chan can I have a beef bowl this time please." Naruto said polishing off his first bowl as the Hokage just received his bowl.

"Sure thing Naruto-kun. Do you know what your bowl after that will be?" Ayame asked knowing full well the boys appetite.

"Yes can that one be another beef please."

Teuchi watched as his daughter came back into the kitchen and told him that Naruto would like two beef ramen next. He never hated the boy for what he contained and tried to help him as best he could. Today for example he had bought a crate of fruit for the boy because as he hated to admit, no one could survive off of ramen alone. He needed to help Naruto get some vitamins and nutrients which ramen barely supplied. He knew of the boys inability to get into any markets to buy anything besides cup ramen. No one allowed him anything healthy!

Giving the two bowls to Ayame he asked her to tell the Hokage to come to the back after he was finished with his bowl. Coming out of the kitchen once more she laid the bowls in front of the energetic blonde. She then relayed the message to the Hokage before deciding to relax for a minute.

"I will do that now Ayame-chan. Naruto I will be back in a second."

Going through the small curtain separating the kitchen from the rest of the stand, the Hokage made his way towards Teuchi Ichiraku.

"What is it that you need Teuchi-san?"

"Ah, Hokage-sama. I called you back here for this." He said as he motioned to the crate of fruit. "I was wondering if you could seal this in a scroll for me and give it to Naruto. The boy needs more then just ramen in his diet."

The Hokage smiled at the stand owner. Naruto was very lucky to have found people who were as nice as Teuchi and his daughter. For the Hokage they were a godsend. It was these two who still gave him hope for the people of his village.

"Of course. He will be very grateful for this. I am also very grateful because Naruto is like a grandchild to me and I couldn't see him die from starvation." Said the Hokage as he sealed it in the scroll he had removed from his robes.

"Thank you Hogake-sama. I'm always glad to help. Also umm, could you take this to Naruto? I know he has a vegetable bowl after his beef that's how often he's in here." Teuchi had asked this last part kind of nervously. He didn't want to insult the leader of the village but he knew Ayame needed a break and he couldn't leave the kitchen.

"No problem Teuchi-san."

Coming back out from the kitchen, the Hokage saw the orange clad boy talking idly with Ayame and smiled. This was probably the only human interaction the boy had besides talking to him.

Walking over he gave Naruto the bowl and the scroll. The boy looked at the scroll questioningly.

"Just put in your pocket and I will tell you what it's for later."

"Okay." The boy said not questioning his Ji-san. "Okay, Ayame-chan, I saved my favorite for last. Can I have pork ramen please?"

"Don't worry Naruto. I'm glad that you at least have something predictable about you. You always have pork last so here you go." Said Teuchi Ichiraku as he stepped out of the kitchen to give Naruto his bowl.

"But how did you know that I was only going to have five bowls tonight?"

All he got in way of a response was a grin and the ruffle of the curtain separating the kitchen from the rest._ I will never get old people._ Naruto couldn't help but sigh at the lack of answer he had received.

The Hokage had sat there astonished as he watched the boy finish his last bowl. The words that would best describe what had happened were the bowl seemed to be empty before it was even lowered to the counter. The old man had never seen anyone eat faster then Hatake Kakashi, but Naruto had definitely just out done the lazy jounin.

Paying for the meal he got up followed closely by the orange clad ninja to be. After exiting the ramen stand Narutos curiosity got the better of him and he asked the Hokage what the scroll was. The Hokage did not want to say out in the open because he feared the reaction from anyone who heard him. Deciding quickly what to do, he put his hand on the boys shoulder and used Sunshin no jutsu to get to his office.

Naruto was dazed for a second. He had seen ninja use that technique before but he had never experienced it for himself. It was not an unpleasant feeling just a little disorienting. When he finally regained his bearings he noticed he was back in the Hokage's office and the old man was behind his desk smoking his pipe, watching him seemingly amused.

Naruto huffed and asked again what the scroll was.

"That scroll Naruto is a sealing scroll. With the help of seals on the scroll you can store things in the scroll or more specifically in the seals. Teuchi-san wanted me to seal something up for you so that no one would see you with it." Seeing the boys excitement he quickly decided to tell the boy how to use it.

"Now to use it all you need are the seal itself and chakra. To place things in them you merely place whatever you wish to seal over the seal and then channel chakra into the seal. Now being as this scroll is a new one, I happened to have, we can make it yours. All you have to do to make a seal yours is to place a small drop of blood on the seal. The seal will then only open with your own blood.

Now all you have to do is take out the scroll and unroll it. Then you should put a little blood on the seal. Good. See how it flashed? It now recognizes only your blood. So to open it all you have to do is smear a little blood on it and push a little chakra into the seal."

Naruto was astounded. He had always wondered how this was done. He had always wished for one of these so that he could keep the few precious belongings he had safe. He followed the last of the Hokage's instructions and was surprised by what came out.

He had always, since he could remember, gotten fruit from the old ramen chef. He was not expecting there to be a whole crate this time! Looking inside his mouth began to water.

The crate itself was one and a half feet by one and a half feet by two feet. How Teuchi had got it to his stand alone was a testament to the mans strength. The crate though was full to the brim. Naruto could see all his favorites like pineapple, watermelon, and oranges. There were also apples, grapes, grapefruit, and every kind of berry he knew and some he didn't know.

Naruto decided to take a piece of fruit and recompose himself. He grabbed an orange and sealed the crate back into the scroll, rolled it up and moved to sit across from the Hokage.

The Hokage had sat there just watching the boy and his reaction. He was very happy to see the boy love everything he had received, the scroll included. As the boy ate his orange the old man decided to say a few things.

"Now Naruto, that scroll is yours to keep. I don't want you to think, however, that you can get all the scrolls in a shop because that seal that I put on that scroll is a Blood Seal combined with a Storage Seal. I would also appreciate it if you kept that scroll hidden at all times."

The old man didn't have to say that to Naruto. He had already decided that this scroll was not going to be seen by anyone. Well at least until he became a genin, then he might let others know he has it.

"You got it Ji-san! Thank you so much for this and I'm going to thank Teuchi-san for the fruit the next time I see him. Are there any limitations to how much this can hold Ji-san?" Naruto asked wanting to know exactly how much he could fit into the scroll.

"Yes there is and good for you for asking. Most shinobi would just try to put way to much into there seal the first time they got it. I'd say by the size of the crate that you could probably get about five pounds more of stuff in there before you would have to worry. Oh! And if you want to get a certain fruit all you have to do is think of that fruit when you are channeling chakra into the seal." Sarutobi said, proud that Naruto had asked such an educated question.

"Now if you don't mind, I would like to get home. These old bones don't hold up like they used to."

"Sure thing Ji-san. I'll see you later and thanks again." Naruto finished as he walked out of the office heading for the Hokage Monument.

Sarutobi waited in his office for a while just looking out over his village. _You all must be stupid. How could you treat such an innocent and kindhearted boy so poorly that a crate of fruit is the best thing to happen to him in quite some time._ Sighing he decided to forego the walk through his village and Sunshined home.

Naruto was currently looking out over Konoha perched atop the Yondaimes head. He could not believe it. Today was the best day of his life. He had a teacher who at the moment was indifferent to him, he was treated to ramen by the old man, Teuchi-san had given him a crate full of fruit, and he had gotten his own blood sealing scroll. He had also gotten to talk today which was a nice change. He had his brief conversation with Shino, his lengthy one with Ji-san, and the nice talk with Ayame-chan.

He couldn't help but feel very lonely and cold because of this day though. It just emphasized how different his life was compared to normal kids. He had no parents, very little human interaction and that blood sealing scroll was the first present he had ever gotten in his life! He felt a tear trickle down his face as he just sat there with his knees pulled up to his chest. He hated feeling like this but he felt like this everyday.

Deciding that he had had enough of watching the village that hated him he headed home.

As he approached his home his heart fell. Looking up to his apartment he could see that villagers or maybe even a shinobi had lit it on fire. Looking around he saw no one. Throwing caution to the wind he used the tree climbing exercise to scale the wall to his apartment. He had something very precious to him in there and he was going to get it!

Coming through his window he was blasted by a wall of heat. Had it been any other time he would have fled but this time he had to get the necklace he had found. It meant so much to him. Besides the clothing on his back it was the only thing he owned!

Fighting back the want to flee he trudged forward to his room where the necklace was. Just then a blast of steam shot from the sinks tap in his bathroom and nailed him. He screamed in agony but would not stop until he had that necklace. Crawling on hands and knees he came up to the loose floor board on the right side of his bed. Pulling it back he saw the glimmering silver he was looking for. Grabbing it he ignored the pain now all over his body and began to slowly make his way out of the now blazing hot inferno that was his apartment.

His skin was bubbling and his clothes were all but burned off. All he had left were the top half of his pants and his boxers. He knew that if he didn't have his healing ability he would already be dead. Now as the pain took over his senses he couldn't even think straight. He had to get out of there now! He gathered all his strength and tried, to the best of his ability, to cover himself in chakra before he took off at a full sprint.

Not two seconds later he collided with and obliterated one of his apartment's walls. Now this was good and bad for him. Good because he was free of the inferno. Bad because he now had a ten story drop to the ground which would hurt a lot!

As the ground approached quickly Naruto remembered something he had heard, from who knows where. He remembered that when you land on your feet and quickly roll, a split second after touch down, then the force of the impact won't have time to affect just your feet, ankles, and legs. If done properly it would displace it all over his body. Now he knew that from this height it would not work perfectly because the fall was too great but he hoped it lessened the damage. Lucky for him he was already heading to the ground feet first. So bracing himself for impact, he concentrated on his goal; walking away from this fall.

On impact, Naruto felt searing pain erupt all through his body but chalked it up to the major burns he could see all over his body. Executing the role proved to be easy but painful. The burns were not going to let him be pain free; not by a long shot. He also felt a few of his ribs crack as he was now on his back still executing the role. Finishing the role he ended in a crouch and skidded across the ground a while before stopping.

He slowly began to see if he could stand up. He was happy to see he could. Looking up at the apartment he could see bright orange-yellow flames licking out of the hole he had created. If it hadn't been his home, he would have said it looked rather cool. He had always had a fascination toward the deadly flames. Even while being burned on more then a few occasions he could not help but marvel at the fluidity and in and out movements of the flames.

Taking his eyes away from the eye grabbing view, he looked at what he had risked so much to get. It was, in his opinion very, he thought that the word was beautiful but he had never really been taught the full meaning of the word. It was a silver claw slashing outward with the slash marks made of gold and it was about the size of a shuriken. He didn't know why he had been drawn to the necklace, well when he found it, it had only been the claw but he had attached the silver chain to it so he could wear it.

He decided it was time to move on from this awful event. _What a way to ruin the best day of my life. I guess the villagers don't appreciate me going to the academy once more. They should really just chill out. Sigh. I guess it's another few nights in the woods for me._

Naruto couldn't help but wince as the pain from his burns hit him once he began to move. He thought near a river would be the best place to stay tonight.

Making his way through the forest he could hear all the noises of the forest. He couldn't help but calm down a little. He didn't know what it was but he loved the forest and its noises and smells. As he approached the river he couldn't hold back any more and he collapsed and began to cry. He just couldn't take all the abuse he got. The attacks, the glares, the solitude, the continuous loss of his home and belongings it just all added up. He needed someone to talk to. He needed a friend.

He just lied there for a while just trying to get himself back together. He had to admit though that the tears he shed made him feel a little bit better, but not much. Getting up and moving closer to the river he found a hollowed out tree that provided enough cover from the elements, not that he needed it; but it was nice to have.

Looking down at what he had left he really wished he knew the Henge. He had a pair of burnt orange shorts and his boxers which could be seen through burn marks on his shorts. He was just thankful he had put his scroll in his pant pocket instead of his jacket because he would have lost it otherwise.

He decided that he would cool his skin off with a quick dip into the water before he made a fire and settled down for the night. Getting to the bank he decided to keep what he had left dry and stripped down. He did however decide to place the necklace around his neck. He would keep it with him from now on.

As he entered the water he hissed as the water hurt but felt good at the same time. His healing factor had already made it so that his fourth degree burns were now second degree burns. They still hurt but not nearly as much as they had.

After completely soaking himself he got out and began to gather wood while he dried off. After collecting enough wood he grabbed his belongings and put his 'cloths' on. After lighting the fire Naruto sat into the hollow of the tree and watched the flames dance around before he decided to call it a night. He knew he would be good in the morning so he just decided to sleep.

Little did he know that he was being watched. The person was not a threat in the slightest, they were just curious as to what the boy was doing near their clan lands.

Naruto had inadvertently drawn the attention of one Inuzuka Hana. She had come to find out about the fire and the scent filling the air of burnt flesh and hair. She had been training not too far away and couldn't help but to come and have a look. When she had arrived she watched as Naruto stood up straight after puting his 'cloths' back on. She had almost gasped at how he looked. He looked like he was cooked and yet he was walking normally. She also noticed his state of dress and couldn't help the need to stare. Even though he was burnt she could see his chiseled body. He looked like a god to her and that if anyone tried to move him they would regret it. His muscles weren't massive but they were toned and looked rock solid.

As she moved in to see what he was doing by the fire she saw that he was staring into the flames with nothing but loneliness, sadness, and misery. She had never seen such emotion in anyone. She wanted to know this person or at least talk to him. Before she could make a decision though she noticed he had gone to sleep.

_I'll come back tomorrow._ Hana thought as she left to go home for the night.

**A/N: **And thats that. I will keep trying to update as soon as I can I will not have a fixed schedual but we'll see what happens. Thanks for reading and drop a review if you like.


	3. Chapter 3

Inuzuka Hana had had one of the worst night sleeps in her life. No matter how hard she had tried, the unconscious state of sleep eluded her. She supposed that it was because of the boy she had seen in the woods near her clan grounds. The sadness and loneliness in his eyes had hit her hard. She could not imagine how someone could have those kinds of emotions at his age.

Getting out of bed she stretched out the lack of sleep from her body and began to prepare for the day never letting the blonde leave her mind. Before she left her room she looked at the clock for the first time and it was 9:00 in the morning. The time benefited her because her annoying younger brother would be at school now, thank god.

Sneaking through the house she arrived at his room. Opening the door she had to hold back a gag as the smell of the room hit her hard in the head. Now because she had heightened senses it didn't help at all and she could only wonder how her brother lived in here. _I mean he has the same senses I do. God it must be a boy thing or something._

Moving over to his dresser, after finally getting used to the smell enough to function within the room, she opened what she hoped was his shirt drawer. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as this was in fact his shirt drawer. Grabbing a plain navy blue shirt she moved down another drawer to get a pair of pants or shorts, whichever one she found first. The smell of the room was really starting to get to her and she would have to get out of there soon! Finding a pair of long black shorts she grabbed them and quickly dashed from the room.

Taking in a huge breath of fresh air, Hana just stood where she was trying to get over the smell in her little brothers room. Regaining her composer, she began to walk toward the kitchen to get something to eat before heading out into the forest.

Entering the kitchen, her eyes widened and she quickly tried to leave before her mother saw her. Sadly it was not to be.

"Hana get back in here please." Said the matriarch of the Inuzuka clan, Tsume Inuzuka.

_Why is she here? I thought she was on a mission._ Hana thought as she re-entered the kitchen and took a seat across from her mother.

"Why do you have some of Kiba's clothing? And why is it that you didn't want me to see you?"

Hana was never one that could easily spin off a lie on the spot. She was just incapable of it. It also didn't help that it was her mother that she was trying to lie to. Her mother could always tell when she was lying, it just never worked. So she decided to tell the truth and hope her mother would not get angry.

"Last night when I was finishing up my training, on the east side of our land, I smelt something in the air. I didn't really recognize it so I followed the smell and as I got closer I could make out it was the smell of burnt flesh and hair.

When I arrived at the river in the forest over there, I saw what looked like a cooked human being in nothing but a burnt pair of orange shorts. Because of the ash and burning I could barely see any feature about him. I couldn't identify him by scent because all he smelt like was burnt flesh.

As I observed him he merely sat in a hollowed out tree in front of a fire. After a few minutes of staring in the fire he went to sleep. While he was looking into the fire he looked so lonely and miserable. I wanted to give him these cloths so he has at least something to wear."

Tsume merely listened to her daughter tell her tale. It seemed she chose not to lie this time which was good. She couldn't believe that there was someone that looked cooked and yet had not headed to the hospital.

"Hana, if this person is still there you should help him to the hospital so he can get treated for his injuries. You are a good person, Hana, and I don't know why you did not want me to know about this. I'm sure this boy will appreciate what you are doing for him. Now finish eating and head out to find him. I have to go see the Hokage now. I will see you later." And with that said Tsume was gone.

Hana hadn't even realized that she was eating until she saw her plate empty. Putting it in the sink, she headed out to find the mystery boy.

Naruto had woken up good as new, as he had expected. His healing ability helped him so much that he was beginning to think that he was relying on it and he didn't like that at all. He already knew that when he was a ninja he would not rely on the healing and be brash and do things without thinking, knowing he had the healing ability.

After he had gotten up, he had stretched out before he made a couple hundred Kage Bunshin to work on his chakra control. Even though he was out of his home, he knew that he still had to train because what else was he going to do. Sending his clones off to work he sat back down to meditate for a while.

About an hour later, a stick broke near him and he cracked an eye open. Looking to his left there was a rabbit hopping through his field of vision. Before the rabbit knew it, it was in the grasp of Uzumaki Naruto and killed. Naruto brought the rabbit back to his fire and began to skin the large rodent. After skinning the rabbit, using only his nails, he put it over the fire to cook. As it cooked, Naruto went to the river to clean off his hands. After washing his hands, he cupped his hands together and used them to get himself a few drinks of water. Refreshed, he took out his scroll and unsealed a pineapple before putting the scroll back in his pocket.

Arriving back at his camp site, he took a seat by the fire and waited for his breakfast to cook. He still couldn't believe he had such a terrible ending to what would have been the best day of his life. He knew that the old man would have another place for him soon but it didn't matter. Why couldn't the villagers leave him alone?

By the time his rabbit was cooked Naruto was not in a good mood. He tore into his rabbit trying to let loose some of the anger he had inside him. Finding it worked a little, he finished it quickly and began to beat into anything near him. Oh, how he loved relieving his stress and anger. He only wished that some of the trees he was hitting were some villagers but he couldn't hit them because then he would be showing them all that they were getting to him. He would not allow that!

As his anger began to recede, he became more aware of his surroundings. He smelt a scent in the air that smelt a lot like watermelon with the scent of dog all over it. There was an Inuzuka watching him. He instantly tensed and called out to the observer.

"What do you want Inuzuka-san?" He asked completely serious. He still had some anger left that he would be happy to use on a shinobi if they proved to be a threat.

Hana was surprised that she was detected because to her Naruto was hitting a tree before he just stopped and then called her out. She decided to show herself because he seemed to be on edge, if the tone of his voice was anything to go by.

Dropping into the clearing, she stood across from the blonde. Looking at him the first thing she noticed was that he looked completely healthy. There was no hint that he had been a human roast the night before and she could not believe it. His skin was flawless, he wasn't missing any hair, and his muscles looked even better up close. Whoa! Where had that last thought come from? Cursing herself on the inside she waited for the boy to speak first.

Naruto didn't even bother to study the person in front of him, the red markings on her face was enough to prove what he had thought. He decided to ask again.

"What do you want Inuzuka-san?"

"Well I saw you here last night and saw that you didn't have any cloths so I brought you some." She left out the part that she saw him with burns all over his body.

Naruto was taken by surprise by this answer. He just didn't get why someone he had never met wanted to help him like this. Even if it was just cloths, he couldn't trust her.

"What have you done to them that you want to give them to me?" Asked the blonde thinking they had been tampered with and maybe had some sort of trap on them.

It was now Hanas turn to be taken aback. She did not think that this boy would suspect her of trying to hurt him or swindle him. She didn't understand how this gesture could get such a reaction out of anyone. She said the only thing that came to her mind at this time.

"Huh?"

"I have had so many people try to trick me by giving me things and then they hurt me so I don't trust you right now. You were spying on me and now just show up offering me something when I have never met you before. I have been lured into a false sense of security too many times to fall for it again even if you are sincere." Naruto said bitterly.

Hana was shocked. She wanted to think that the boy was lying to her but he seemed so angry at what he had said that it couldn't be a lie. She couldn't think of anything to say right now. She needed to think over what he had said. She placed the clothes on the ground before straightening up to leave. Before she was completely gone she turned around.

"I'm Hana Inuzuka, I will see you again."

And with that Naruto was alone in the clearing again. He didn't know what to think of that little confrontation. He slowly made his way over to the clothing Hana had left behind and began to inspect them. He looked for exploding tags, smelt for poisons or other harmful powders, and felt them to make sure there was not metal in them. After finding them not to be a danger to him he removed his orange shorts and put the new cloths on. The shirt was tight on him making his muscles more accented. The shorts were too long for him as well but they fit his waist well. They looked more like khakis then shorts but he didn't mind. He then moved back to the fire and sat down. Finding the pineapple he had forgotten about in his anger he began to eat it. Finishing it he mutter a 'thank you Hana-san' before going back into meditation.

Out of everything that she was expecting, what she had heard just now was not there. Hana could not believe that someone could have been treated that way. He seemed nice enough and to not even be a little trusting really shook her. She had not even been able to get home. She had just sat on a tree branch to think about what had just happened.

She couldn't really put a finger on it, but she could have sworn that he had wanted her there. She didn't know what it was.

At the moment, she was having a lot of trouble deciding what to do. There was an inner debate going on in her head and right now she could not choose a side. One side told her to go back there and get some answers out of the boy. He was a complete mystery and she wanted to solve that mystery. What irked her even more was that she had not even gotten his name.

The other side of her internal conflict told her to go home and talk to someone about what had happened. She really did not want to do this one because he would probably never trust her again. On the other hand, storming back there did not look all that good either due to his lack of trust in her.

In the end, she decided to throw aspects of each side together to form her plan. She decided that going home was a good idea but talking to anyone was not. She also decided to go back to the boy the next day and try to get to know him and begin to piece together his puzzle. With her mind made up and a smile on her face, she got up and ran the rest of the way home.

Naruto finished his meditation and stood to stretch out his stiff muscles. He could not believe what he saw when he opened his eyes. It was dark! After Hana's departure he had started to meditate again, at what he guessed to be eleven in the morning. His meditation had been very bad as well. He was constantly wondering why someone, besides the old man, had sought him out and been kind to him. He was reluctant to say he was very excited for her return but he knew he was.

Trust. Trust was the word running through his mind, at the moment. He wished for her to return but he didn't trust her yet. It had been too tough a road for Naruto for him to trust so easily again. One memory stuck out in his head more then the rest.

Flashback

Naruto was very excited. He had just been invited into a restaurant that he had never been in before. He really hoped to get some food because it had been a while since he had eaten anything.

Now any person could see that this was anything besides a restaurant. The windows were filthy, the door was barely in its frame, and the lights inside were very dim. Naruto didn't pay attention to these details though. He had found someone who would give him something to eat and he couldn't be happier.

Stepping through the door he saw a table and moved towards it. Taking a seat on a rickety chair he sat waiting for someone to come. Looking around the 'restaurant' he noticed that there was no one there besides him and all the tables had been pushed to the walls except his. A feeling, in the pit of his stomach, told him that he should leave and he knew to always trust that feeling.

Getting up he tried to get to the door and run when something hard hit him in the back of the head. It knocked him to the floor face first and he felt his nose shatter and start to bleed. Trying to get up, something sharp stabbed into his back forcing him back to the floor. It had been a large kitchen knife and it stood at attention still lodged into his back, caught between two ribs. After the stab, a chair was broken over him followed by the table, both combining to break several ribs.

Naruto could not believe the pain he was in. Not only was there a large knife in his back, probably puncturing his lung, he was also getting the beating of his life. He could feel so many punches and kicks he didn't even bother to count them, in a vain attempt to keep his mind off the pain. What happened next was all too familiar.

The strikes stopped and a chorus of 'Burn the Demon!' was heard before the whole building was set on fire. Naruto couldn't believe it! Why, why was there always fire? It didn't matter though because the pain he was in skyrocketed as his cloths and skin began to burn and catch fire. All he was seeing was white as he slowly got to his feet on uncertain legs. All he could think to do at this point was to run and run he did. He ran, luckily straight through the empty doorframe and just kept running.

He felt the burns, the broken bones, the knife, and all the bruises. He just kept telling himself to run. Finally collapsing from a mixture of pain and fatigue he got a quick look at his wounds. He could see two of his ribs sticking out of his chest and the wounds seeming to poor an endless supply of blood. He noticed for the first time that his left arm was broken and the muscles were exposed due to the fire. His skin had literally burned off leaving burnt muscles in their wake. Using all his available energy he made a Kage Bunshin to take out the knife and move him to a safe location before it dispelled itself.

Flashback End

He had been seven when that happened and he would never instantly trust anyone ever again. He even remembered he hadn't gone to Ichiraku's for two months after that incident, too afraid that they would end up doing the same to him.

He began to shake his head, to get it out of the past. It did him no good to live there and he always tried his hardest to keep looking forward.

He decided, since it was so late, that he would do a few laps of the village before he settled down for the night. Making a few hundred Kage Bunshin he began to give them instructions for the time he would be gone.

"Ok guys, I want this half of you to think of a taijutsu style for us. The other half I want you to try to figure out anything else we can do with Kage Bunshin. Alright guys, I'm off."

And with that he left for his laps around the village.

While running, he would just enjoy the feeling of being free and not being looked at. He loved times when he was alone or with the old man, when they were away from prying eyes. He could just be himself, for the most part and relax.

He would once in a while get an idea from one of his clones dispelling. He had always found it humorous how each clone was him but still had a distinct variation of personality. The idea he had just gotten was rather funny and he allowed himself to laugh. The clone that had just dispelled had the idea to base his fighting style around being an idiot and acting foolish during the fight. However, while you were acting like you didn't know anything, you could simply wait for your opponent to get close before switching to a serious stance and pounding him.

The idea in itself was funny but had some merit. It would certainly make your opponent underestimate you and in the ninja world that could very well be the last mistake you could make.

Throughout his run, Naruto would get more and more ideas from his clones on how they could use the guise of an idiot in a fight. The more ideas that flowed into his mind the more appealing the taijutsu style became. He loved to be deceiving and fooling people.

He actually deceived people on a daily basis. He fooled the villagers by acting like he didn't care about the beating, the glares, and the disrespect. It was not for his benefit, rather, he enjoyed knowing that it irked the populace, that their actions didn't get to him. He could pick it out sometimes. He could pick out the astonished looks in the crowds of those who had hurt him and the next day here he is smiling and acting like nothing had happened. He loved those looks! It was really those looks that had kept him going. Now he could simply avoid almost all problems which also helped to ease his mind. There were still a few, shinobi instigated, beatings but they were few and far between.

Returning back to camp, after his hour long run, he found almost all of the clones he had tasked to think of a fighting style were gone; few remained. All the clones he had working on other ways to use Kage Bunshin, however, were there and had some results.

The clones had successfully duplicated a thrown rock and were working with each other to perfect it. Moving closer to the group, Naruto just watched for a little while before his curiosity got the better of him. He beckoned over the group of clones and began to dispel them, one group of ten at a time. Getting to the last group, Naruto was overjoyed by the ideas and results swimming around his brain. It was times like this that he really knew he wanted to be a shinobi.

Moving to his fire, which one clone had kept going for him, he sat down. He really wanted to try out the multiple thrown items 'jutsu' that his clones had thought of but he knew that he should wait until morning. The ideas would still be there after all. Pulling out his scroll, he released a multitude of berries and two apples and began to eat them.

Finishing his dinner, he couldn't help but feel grateful toward Teuchi Ichiraku for the fruit. Settling into his hutch, he just watched the fire and thought of the benefits to this new 'jutsu' his clones had worked on. He could already see himself working on his agility, with all the projectiles coming at him. With that thought he went to sleep content with his work for the day.

The morning came to Konoha and with it came a headache for the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi. Sitting behind his desk, he was told by one of his most trusted ANBU, that Naruto's apartment was destroyed and had been covered up by shinobi. They had hid it behind a genjutsu and it hadn't been discover until this morning, by the ANBU member while on his patrol. For a while the old leader's heart dropped, thinking that the blond had lost his life to the inferno. He felt like it was his fault, even though it was his company that had kept the boy away from his apartment during the fire. He hoped that at least.

Dismissing his ANBU, he brought out his crystal ball and began to search for the blonde haired boy. It took him a while, but after an hour of searching he found him asleep in the forest. A sigh of relief left him as he slouched down into his chair. _Well at least he is safe. I'm going to have to get him another place now. Sigh._

Placing the ball back into its drawer, he pulled out his pipe and began to put some tobacco into it. Lighting it, he leaned back into his chair to think of where to place the boy now that his apartment was gone. As he pondered a pair of brown eyes opened across the village.

Hana woke with an air of determination, as she began her morning routine. She was going to talk to that guy today and nothing could stop her. Getting in the shower she felt like the dirt from her brothers room was still all over her, even though she had scrubbed for an hour the previous night.

Finally satisfied with her cleanliness, she got out and dried off. Getting her cloths and equipment on she headed downstairs for a quick breakfast. Making a quick sandwich, she quickly looked at the clock seeing 10:00am. Eating her sandwich as she left she made her way to where the boy had last been.

Naruto had woken up a little over fifteen minutes ago. He had summoned some fruit to have for breakfast before he did some quick stretches. He wanted to keep his body flexible and loose. He loved to stretch in the morning; it felt so good. He decided that he felt like a little dip to clean himself off. After all, it had been a few days since he had bathed and would be many more.

Walking over to the stream, he stripped and walked on the water until it was deep enough, before stopping his chakra flow and falling right in to over his head. He felt so refreshed! It was cold but at the same time it felt so nice and soothing. He scrubbed a bit, to at least try to get some dirt off, before getting out once more. Putting on the shorts he was given the day before, he began to walk around shirtless. He didn't like the feel of tight cloths; they just felt weird.

Curiosity getting the better of him, as it had the night before. He began to try the 'jutsu' the clones had come up with. He loved it! It was so cool to be able to do another technique. This was the first he knew besides Kage Bunshin. At first he only made one other rock, to just test the waters. After that, he pushed more chakra into it and he got at least a couple hundred copies of the rock he tossed. The best part was he didn't even have to make seals for it because of his familiarity with Kage Bunshin. In fact, he could make about ten shadow clones without hand seals. It was only when he had to poor more chakra into the technique, that he needed the extra help of hand seals. This one however, didn't require any, for him anyways.

It was as he finished testing his new technique, that he noticed a chakra signature approaching. It was a familiar one and he began to wonder why she had actually come back. He had expected her to just stay away and here she was getting closer and closer. Deciding to stay and see what she wanted he had a seat where he stood and waited for her to enter the clearing.

Hana could smell him in the air. _Good he hasn't moved. I guess he is curious about me or something otherwise from what he said yesterday he would have ran._ As she burst through the brush into the clearing, she looked around for him. Seeing him sitting in the middle of the clearing she approached him cautiously.

Contrary to the day before, Naruto began to study the girl in front of him. She had brown hair that went down to her shoulders, styled away from her face with a wild wave to it. (Ya I changed her hair from canon, what. Think Kurenai's hair but more wild looking and brown.) She had a feral appearance about her, accented by her almost animal like brown eyes. She had the signature red markings below her eyes that all Inuzuka had. An average size face finished off her head. Moving his eyes down, he saw a chunin vest with, he guessed, a tank top underneath. On her wrists, she wore guards to help reinforce her wrists and on her right arm there was a tattoo of some kind that he didn't recognize. She also wore a pair of tight shorts that were black in color before her ensemble finished with a pair of ninja sandals on her feet. She looked to him, to be around sixteen.

While he was studying her, she was studying him. She just stood there in awe of the person before her. He had the blondest hair she had ever seen, which was spiked up in every direction along with the most stunning sapphire blue eyes she couldn't help but stare at. Continuing down his face she noticed three whisker like marks on each cheek, that ended around his jaw line. Slowly moving her eyes down, she saw probably the most amazing body she would ever see. Now, she had seen other guys without a shirt on, but this guy was just perfect. All she could think of at the moment was that he was ripped. He had everything she wanted, nice pecs, a six pack just showing, which she found much better then a fully visible six pack that just didn't look right. She just marveled at his upper body, seeing how all the muscle on his arms and the rest of his body were rock hard. They were not huge, just very well toned.

She began to blush a little, thinking some rather inappropriate thoughts about the boy in front of her. This did not go unnoticed by the blonde but he had no idea what it meant. He thought she was just hot and asked her if she was.

Blushing even more at being caught, she decided to nod her head in the affirmative not trusting her voice right now. After nodding, she moved over to sit under a tree so as to appear to be cooling off and at the same time, try to keep her mind off naughty thoughts.

Taking a seat under the tree she beckoned the boy over to talk. He didn't move. He was not trusting yet, which is why he had yet to move from the middle of the clearing. Noticing how she seemed sincere, he moved over to her, but took a seat under a tree across from where she was sitting, in case she tried to attack him. Looking over to her he sat there motionless, yet on guard and gave her a quizzical look. He had not expected her to show up and was kind of hoping she would speak to him.

On the other side, Hana was watching the boy as he looked at her questioningly. She had wanted to come to talk and get to know this boy. Firstly she wanted to know his name.

"Hi, uh, what's your name?" She asked not really knowing how else to ask.

"Why would you want to my name?" Naruto returned her question with another. The tone of sadness in his voice was not hidden to anyone. Hana, the girl before him was only the third person to ever ask him for his name. The other two were the Ichirakus.

"Well I- I wanted to know who you were. You seem lonely so I thought you might want someone to talk to." Hana said not really understanding why he sounded so sad. She also noticed that after she finished he looked on the brink of tears. Hana not knowing why he was like this said "Sorry I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I- I'm sorry." She said trying to make him feel better.

Naruto couldn't believe his ears. Someone actually wanted to get to know him. No one had wanted that, from him, in all his fourteen years. He felt so happy he almost cried. He wanted to cheer and jump around, but he knew better. He had to be sure she was not trying to fool him. He decided to go along with the conversation and answer some of her questions, to see if she was being honest.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto." He couldn't help but smile a little after saying this. It was the first time he had told someone his name who wanted to hear it. Well, besides the Ichirakus.

Hana, happy that she had gotten him talking, began her line of questioning.

"So Naruto, are you a ninja of this village?"

"No, but I would like to be. Right now I'm an academy student. I have _failed_ the last two years and am trying to pass this year." Naruto said the word failed with a lot of venom and sarcasm. He should have passed the first time around, but hating sensei's kept him back.

"How come you haven't passed before?" Hana asked actually very confused. She knew that the test to pass was very easy and if you don't pass it the first time you are guaranteed to pass it the second time around or you are just not cut out to be a shinobi.

Naruto's simple answer was "Bad teachers." He then added, on a happier note "But Iruka-sensei seems much better then the others."

Hana had not missed the anger in Naruto's tone when he had said 'bad teachers'. She could guess that they must have held a grudge against the boy but she didn't want to press it at this time. She simply stored it, for a later use, until it was appropriate to talk about; like when they were friends or something.

"Oh. You are in my brother's class then. His name is Kiba."

Naruto made an 'ah' kind of sound before smirking.

"What? Did you meet him on your first day?" Hana asked innocently.

"Yes I met him, in a sense. He made fun of me before I even introduced myself to the class. But it doesn't matter, I have heard so much worse and being the new student to the class, along with being a previous failure, I'm an easy target to make fun of. Especially for those who want to appear tougher and stronger than they really are."

Hana had to giggle at his assessment. That was exactly her brother, cocky, arrogant, and wanting to be top dog. He just didn't understand that smarter people could see that he was trying to cover up his weakness. "Yes that sounds like him alright. My mother and I have tried to get him to stop doing that but he just doesn't get it."

"So Naruto, why have I never seen you around the village before?"

"You have never seen me before? I find that hard to believe. Everyone knows who I am." Naruto finished once again angrily and regretfully.

"I really don't remember seeing you around before. Have you changed anything that would make you unrecognizable?" Hana asked actually drawing a blank of who this boy is. If everyone knew who he was why didn't she know. She was actually kind of upset about it.

"Well the only difference is that I'm not wearing my orange jumpsuit. That's really the only thing I have changed. Other than that I'm the same old Naruto I have always been." Naruto could not believe what he was saying. He was being so casual with this person he had just met. He had never been this casual before with anyone besides the Hokage. Even the Ichirakus didn't get this. It was not because of them though, but rather that they were an open to the public food stand. He just didn't want to be overheard there.

After his comment, Hanas brain kicked into overdrive trying to picture the boy in front of her in orange. She gasped as it dawned on her.

"That's who you are?" She said very surprised.

Naruto instantly darkened after this. To him it sounded all too familiar. First, there was the shock, then the disgust then the anger. He could already see the disgust forming on her face.

He completely had misunderstood her disgust. He was already getting up when she said "That was the ugliest thing anyone could have worn. I'm so glad you are not wearing that atrocity."

Naruto just stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face. This girl in front of him didn't hate him like he had thought. She was only disgusted by his jumpsuit. He slowly began to cheer up. He then began to chuckle which broke out into full blown laughter.

"Ya, me too. I really hate that thing." He laughed out. He liked this feeling. He actually had not laughed in years with other people present. He really began to get into it and he just felt better and better.

Hana, meanwhile, was watching him carefully. She didn't really understand why he was laughing so much. Yes, it was a little funny but not full blown laughter funny. She didn't bother asking him though because he seemed very happy at the moment and she wanted to keep him that way. What he said then came back to her.

"If you don't like it then why do you where it?" She said but then instantly regretted. As soon as she finished he stopped laughing and his whole demeanor went south. It was only for a second but she saw it and then he was back to what she perceived as his normal self.

"I'd rather not talk about that, Hana-san." Naruto replied with sadness in his voice. He knew if he answered that question then she would ask a multitude of other even more complicated questions to answer.

"Oh, ok. How about we just try to get to know each other then? I mean I know a little bit about you" _ya like nothing at all_ "but you don't know anything about me. How about you tell me your likes and dislikes and favorite food and I'll do the same in return?"

Naruto thought about it and was literally jumping for joy in the inside. Not only did someone want to know him but they wanted him to know them back. Naruto was so happy that he forgot that she was there for five minutes until she cleared her throat looking at him funny. He had the decency to look sheepish before saying a small 'gomen' and then beginning to talk.

"Uh, well my name is Uzumaki Naruto and I like Ramen, I guess that's my favorite food as well, the father and daughter that run Ichiraku, and the Third Hokage. I dislike the majority of the villagers in the village and people who are mean to people before they even get to know them. I also don't like tight clothing, which is why I'm not wearing a shirt now."

It took Hana a while to take all this in. Out of everything in the Village he liked three people and ramen made by two of them? What was wrong with his life that he would have that kind of answer. On top of that he hated almost the entire populace? She really didn't know what to think about that. She did, however, decide not to press the issue.

"Well uh, My name is Inuzuka Hana. I like my mother, my companions who are sick right now, being outdoors, and relaxing by the fire. I don't like the majority of my clan, simple minded idiots, and Orochimaru for what he did to Anko. I guess you don't know her but you'll probably meet her at some point. My favorite food is well, I'm kind of embarrassed to say because it is fairly stereotypical for canines, but a nice rare steak. Now it has to be cooked but not that much." Finishing she looked over to Naruto who was looking at her oddly she then got why when he asked his next question.

"Um, Hana-san, what does stereotypical mean?" He asked very embarrassed. He didn't like not knowing things but he knew he barely knew anything in the world. His education was so scattered and terrible that he didn't even know why men and women looked different or why women had those large bumps on their chest.

"Well I don't actually know what it means fully either" Hana said sheepishly "but in this case, you know how dogs love to eat raw meat right? Well my clan deals with dogs and we have jutsu to make us more beastlike so it's just funny how my favorite food would be like the dogs."

Naruto still didn't know what the word meant but he had understood enough to know that it was a little funny and he smiled. Naruto at this point realized that this was the longest conversation he had ever had with someone besides the Hokage. With that his smile grew, but he had no idea what to talk about so he decided waiting for her would be the best idea.

Hana was in awe at the moment. She was staring at the boy in front of her and couldn't look away again! He looked so good when he smiled. She also took pride in the fact that it was her that made it that way.

"Naruto, I have to go now but I can come back tomorrow if you like."

Inside Naruto was screaming at the top of his lungs 'YES!' but outwardly he restrained himself to smiling and saying "I would like that very much Hana-san."

"Would you like to be friends Naruto?" Hana asked as she had done many times before.

Naruto on the other hand just sat there. His brain shut down as she finished her question. She wanted to be his friend. His very first friend in his entire life. He couldn't believe it. He was speechless so all he could do was nod his head which he did fervently.

"Alright Naruto. We are now friends and I will be back tomorrow to get to know you better but don't worry I'll tell you a little bit about me too." She said as she got up. She didn't want to go but she had duties to take care of at home. She hated Wednesday s but they were unavoidable. When she was on her way she turned in mid stride and said "See ya later Naruto. I won't be able to be here in the morning tomorrow but I should be able to come by around 3 so I'll see you then." And with that said she was gone.

Naruto had barely heard what she said. It was like he was in a drunken stupor. He was to happy to do anything. He just sat under that tree for two whole hours before his brain finally calmed down enough for him to realize that he now had a friend. With that thought in mind he literally ran around the clearing screaming his head off and jumping off of anything. He was so happy that he didn't notice anything besides himself which is probably why he ran into the brick wall known as the Hokage.

Sarutobi had come to see Naruto today for two reasons. The first and less important reason was so he could get out the office. The second was he was worried about Naruto, he thought of him as a grandson after all. Coming up on the clearing the boy was in he could hear shouts of joy. He recognized them from very brief times he had heard them in the past. Entering the clearing he could see Naruto bouncing around the area oblivious to his surroundings. He decided to have a little fun and got in the boys way. He was not disappointed with the result as the boy crashed into him head first causing the boy to fall and rub his head while looking up to see what he had hit.

Sarutobi chuckled as Naruto looked up to him dazed. He couldn't help but to smile at the boy as he could see recognition appear on Naruto's face.

Before he could blink, Naruto was up and jumping around again. He couldn't help but feel happy for the boy although he really wished he knew why the boy was so happy. He was beaming. The old leader had _never_ seen Naruto this happy before in his life.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the Hokage decided to ask the boy why he was so happy. "So Naruto, why is it that you are so happy?"

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks and turned toward his 'grandfather' with a huge shit-eating grin.

"I made a friend today, Oji-san. Her name is Hana and she was the one who brought me these cloths." He said motioning to his body. Realizing he still didn't have his shirt on he added "well she gave me a shirt but it's too small, but that's fine by me."

Sarutobi smiled. He had never seen the boy like this before. He just looked overjoyed and so happy that the old man couldn't help but feel it too. He just wished that he had a place for Naruto to move into at the moment so that the boy would be even happier. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the reason he had stopped on his way to the boy.

Unrolling the scroll he placed his hand on the seal and pushed the appropriate amount of chakra into it and out popped over TWENTY bowls of ramen. The smell quickly permeated the area of the clearing and once it hit a certain blonde teen, it stopped him dead in his tracks.

Naruto was in front of the mound of bowls in a heartbeat. Magically pulling chopsticks out of nowhere, he shouted at the top of his lungs "You're the best Oji-san! Itadakimasu!" before digging into the food of the gods, known as ramen.

Sarutobi and Naruto spent the rest of the afternoon together talking about anything. Sarutobi told Naruto that he should have a new place by the end of the week. He also told him that he was excused from going to the academy for the rest of the week as well.

When it began to get dark, the wizened Hokage called it a night and excused himself. Naruto the waited a while before he summoned a mass of Kage Bunshin to train with well into the night, being as he had very little training that day. It was, however, the best day of his life, for now he had a friend; his first friend, Inuzuka Hana.


End file.
